US AND THE KOMODO DRAGONS

Vitamin D, Denver, COIn talking about Vitamin D being the “Sunshine Vitamin”, we found some outrageously “wow, really?” facts. These are just a few:

-Cave paintings indicate that the cave man believed exposure to sunlight was necessary for good health

-Medical practitioners in the time of the Egyptian pharaohs reported the benefits of sun exposure

-A famous hieroglyphic shows the Pharaoh Akhenaton with Queen Nefertiti and their children being blessed by the hands of the sun

-Sun therapy was praised by Hippocrates who was widely considered to be the “Father of Medicine” and the creator of the Hippocratic Oath

-Animals and reptiles can also suffer from Vitamin D deficiency when they are shaded and protected from sun in zoos or kept as pets

-Kirmani, a gorilla born at Franklin Park Zoo in Boston showed signs of soft bones and had severe muscle weakness at 7 months. Once she was given Vitamin D supplements she made a full recovery

-Twin polar bears at the Denver Zoo had difficulty walking until they were given Vitamin D supplements

-The first Komodo dragons kept in a zoo in the United States were a gift by the president of Indonesia to the National Zoo in Washington. They risked signs of dying out as they were unable to produce viable hatchlings. But when their Vitamin D was increased, a new generation of Komodo dragons were born

-Often young reptiles kept as family pets show signs of the bone softening disease rickets, while the older reptiles may have osteoporosis and develop a sway back and fractures. Reptiles can’t make Vitamin D from the sun when they live in a glass fish tank because UVB can’t get through glass.

Absolutely, positively no kidding.

IT’S EVERYWHERE, IT’S EVERYWHERE

Vitamin D doesn’t just do a good number on our bones. It touches and effects organs and cells throughout our bodies. You’d be surprised. Vitamin D can help kidney cancer and provide a higher rate of survival in men with prostate cancer. When taken pre natal it can help strengthen a baby’s bones and may help prevent allergies. It aids poor coronary circulation and even recovery in some stroke victims. It may even boost the effects of antidepressants and lessen the symptoms of psoriasis.

The list of its’ potential goes on and on and on…but this is a blog, not a book.

MOO WON’T DO

If we asked you to do a quick word association exercise with vitamin D, two words would probably pop into your head: 1- sunshine and 2- dairy. The second one is thanks to some very clever marketing tactics from the dairy industry. But dairy is not always a great source of vitamin D. That’s because animals, just like humans, make vitamin D from sunlight exposure. Most dairy cows in the US are not outside in pasture, grazing on grass, but raised indoors.

Secondly, Vitamin D is fat-soluble and most American opt for fat-free or low-fat dairy products. That means most of the naturally-occurring Vitamin D is gone. Although most milk is fortified with Vitamin D, that’s less common in other dairy products, like yogurt and cheese. Whatever Vitamin D is added to that non-fat or low-fat dairy probably won’t be absorbed very well. So don’t go kissing some cow in gratitude right away.

GIVING CANCER A KICK IN THE “BUTS…”

Cancer is a killer in many ways. All the hope and all the treatments and the type and level of cancer one has is riddled with “Yes, but…” There is no promise of a cure. But all the research and studies are moving outcomes forward even if it is in baby steps. Examples:

-A recent meta-analysis found that there was a 21% increased risk of kidney cancer in those with low Vitamin D levels compared to individuals with higher Vitamin D levels.

-Of the cancers that can affect both men and women, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer, responsible for more than 50,000 deaths each year in the United States. Recent research finds high Vitamin D status linked to longer survival among colorectal cancer patients

-In a recent meta-analysis, researchers found that sufficient Vitamin D status is linked with a 60% reduced risk of bladder cancer

-A study found that countries with low UVB had six times higher incidence of pancreatic cancer compared to countries with high UVB

The numbers add up. There isn’t a type of the disease that isn’t being studied to see how vitamin D can help.

THE HORMONE WITH HEART

Anyone can have coronary issues. Of any type. At any age. Of all the treatments, one could be amazed at how Vitamin D may be involved in the resolution of some of these issues.

-There are studies that have shown low Vitamin D may be an indicator of poor coronary collateral circulation in patients with coronary blockage

-In another ground breaking study, research suggests that low Vitamin D status causes increased blood pressure

-A five-year study found those who took a daily dose of Vitamin D3 experienced improved heart function compared to those who took a daily placebo

-A recent study found that individuals with low levels of total Vitamin D and bioavailable Vitamin D were at increased risk for cardiac event compared to people with high Vitamin D levels

It’s enough to do anyone’s heart good.

IT ISN’T CHILD’S PLAY

Vitamin D is being studied and researched in every area imaginable. From birth, and actually before. The findings and possibilities are mind-boggling.

-Vitamin D can start having positive results when it comes to children. Even pre natal

-It’s been found that children of Vitamin D deficient mothers had nearly double the risk for developing multiple sclerosis later in life.

-Insufficient Vitamin D status is linked with dangerously large birth size and increased likelihood of cesarean section.

-Vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy can decrease various obstetrical complications

-Researchers recently conducted the first study to evaluate the association between Vitamin D levels and chronic cough in children

-A recent series of case reports that found Vitamin D provides a treatment effect for children with tension headaches

Another recent study found that Vitamin D deficient children stay an average of 3.5 days longer in the ICU compared to children who are not deficient

-It has even been shown that achieving a healthy Vitamin D status during a baby’s first 12-36 months may help reduce body fat and increase muscle as a toddler

Whoa, baby….D is doing it in so many ways.

AND THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS BALANCING THE REST OF YOUR HORMONES CAN HELP. YOU JUST NEED THE RIGHT PERSON TO HELP YOU. DR. STEPHEN A. GOLDSTEIN, M.D, F.A.C.S. AT DENVER HORMONE HEALTH IS THE AUTHORITY ON THIS. ONCE HE TESTS YOU TO DETERMINE YOUR PERSONAL HORMONE LEVELS, HE CAN CREATE AN INDIVIDUALIZED TREATMENT PLAN FOR YOUR UNIQUE HORMONE NEEDS. AND UNLESS YOUR HORMONES ARE IN BALANCE, YOUR BODY JUST WON’T BE GETTING WHAT IT NEEDS TO KEEP YOU GOING. AND GOING STRONG.

SO CALL TODAY FOR AN APPOINTMENT.

CHOOSING DR. GOLDSTEIN IS THE ONE THING THAT DOESN’T NEED TO BE RESEARCHED.